Name Game
by SakuraBlossomQuiet1
Summary: Names. Just a little drabble, come in to discover more. Almost nonexistant AxC. Rated because my pride wouldn't let me rate something K.


"And the look the bartender gave you! It was priceless!" Aziraphale sent his companion an extremely disapproving look before muttering something that sounded something like "not at all funny" and continuing to look disgruntled.

"He pegged it as credit card fraud! Really angel, you'd make a terrible criminal." Aziraphale scowled until he realized he should be taking this as a compliment, then scowled at the fact that he didn't.

They were at the bookshop, slightly more sober than they had been a few hours ago. They had been at a bar, but it had been closing so, as they left, Aziraphale had turned to pay. He had handed the barman his credit card, and waited for it to be swiped and returned. But it wasn't swiped. The barman had simply stood there, looking at the signature on the back before looking incredulously at Aziraphale.

"Mr. A. Ziraphale? You gotta be kidding me. I know a fake name when I see one and this one's as fake as they come. Aziraphale had not really understood. He had always thought that his moniker was okay, a little bit weird, but fine overall for society. He had begun to argue with the barkeep, but Crowley, sensing that the situation would go nowhere, paid and dragged Aziraphale out of the bar.

"Seriously though," he was saying now, "that name sucks. You should think of a different one. I mean A. Ziraphale who would ever-"

"What about your name? A.J. Crowley? What does the J stand for anyway?"

"-Believe that was a real – aa-" Crowley choked on his words, hearing what Aziraphale asked. He looked slightly trapped, and, if Aziraphale could have seen behind the shades, he would have seen the shiftiness of his eyes. "I-it's just an initial. I wanted one so I picked J."

Aziraphale looked wearily at him. "Really my dear, if you don't want to tell me you don't have to. But you _could_ just say you don't want to if you don't.

Crowley looked down. "It's just another part of my name. I don't use it anymore, but I didn't really want to let it go…" here he trailed off, allowing Aziraphale to draw his own conclusions. He got it now.

"What does it stand for?" The question was tentative, cautious, he made sure it was clear that Crowley didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. This was a touchy subject after all.

"Jechiel" The tone was dull, listless. "I probably shouldn't have kept it at all. It isn't mine anymore anyways."

Aziraphale looked sadly at him. Crowley had never rebelled, had never really turned against his fellow angels, he had just hung around with the wrong crowd and hadn't deserted them when they fell. He remembered hearing the names of the angels that had chosen to follow the Morning Star. Jechiel wasn't among them. He thought he remembered hearing it some weeks afterward, in the names of angels that had fallen after the rebellion, but had never really thought much of it. "It's still yours," he said firmly, "if you still want it, no one's going to take it away from you. At least, not on my side."

Crowley sent him a sad look. "They already have on my side. I suppose I'd be in trouble if they found out I kept it. Ungratefulness or something. 'Sides, how do you know they wouldn't mind on your side? He cast me away from Him. He didn't want me anymore, so what He gave me wouldn't be mine anymore would it?"

Aziraphale's extra-empathetic angel heart felt like it was breaking. He couldn't imagine the feeling of being cast away from God, of not feeling like one of His children anymore. The next question he asked, even he couldn't believe: "how did it feel, to fall?"

Crowley shot him an incredulous look, then shocked them both by answering. "Like someone loved you and cared for you and made everything right and perfect and good and loved you no matter what mistakes you made, and then no one did."

Aziraphale couldn't stop himself, anything to make his friend feel better. "I could love you. I'm not much in His place. But I could love you."

Crowley looked up and gave him the most genuine smile he had ever seen from him. "Thanks angel."

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Wow! When I started this I hadn't the faintest clue where it was going. The ending sort of snuck up on me. Review! I mean it… that means you!

-Sakura


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